'True Blood' sinks its fangs into final season; 'Big Brother' returns

By Chuck Barney

Contra Costa Times

Posted:
06/20/2014 12:01:00 PM PDT

Updated:
06/20/2014 04:10:14 PM PDT

DON'T MISS: "True Blood" -- The sexy-scary gorefest this week launches its seventh and final season, and word has it that "nobody's safe." Of course, Sookie (Anna Paquin), our beloved leading lady, is accustomed to perilous situations by now, but she has her hands full when a band of rogue Hep V-infected vampires attacks Bon Temps. Will peace ever come to this poor beleaguered Southern town? 9 p.m. Sunday, HBO.

Other bets

SUNDAY: Because there just aren't enough singing competitions in prime time, we now are being treated (or subjected) to "Rising Star." The twist? This one gives viewers a chance to vote in real time. 9 p.m., ABC.

: Watch them race for the cure on "The Last Ship." In this new drama, a Navy crew finds itself on a mission to save mankind after a virus has killed 80 percent of humans. 9 p.m., TNT.

SUNDAY: "The Musketeers" is an offbeat new take on Alexandre Dumas' tale. Expect plenty of swordplay. 9 p.m., BBC America.

MONDAY

: "The Case Against 8" is a documentary that chronicles last year's legal battle to overturn California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. The film provides a vivid portrait of the people who led the charge for marriage equality. 9 p.m., HBO.

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TUESDAY

: "American Experience: Freedom Summer" is a powerful documentary that recalls the brave and selfless actions of young activists, black and white, who flocked to Mississippi in 1964 to shatter white supremacy. 9 p.m., PBS.

TUESDAY: The new drama series "Tyrant" follows the self-exiled son (Adam Rayner) of a Middle Eastern dictator who leaves his comfy home in California to visit his homeland for a family member's wedding. Much turmoil ensues. 10 p.m., FX.

WEDNESDAY

: "Big Brother" is the cockroach of TV: You just cannot eradicate it. It returns with a whole new batch of roomies who will try to get along with each other -- and fail miserably. 8 p.m., CBS.

WEDNESDAY

: Chyler Leigh stars in the new action drama "Taxi Brooklyn." She plays a detective who speeds around New York solving crimes with the help of a local cabbie (Jacky Ido). 10 p.m., NBC.

THURSDAY: Break out the scrubs. "NY Med," the reality series about life at Manhattan's New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Newark's University Hospital, is back for a second season. 10 p.m., ABC.

FRIDAY: "Girl Meets World," a sequel to the beloved 1990s sitcom "Boy Meets World," has Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel reprising their roles. Now they're parents, and the "girl" in the title is their tween daughter (Rowland Blanchard). 9:45 p.m., Disney Channel.

SATURDAY: "Scandal" star Tony Goldwyn leaves the White House for the lead role in "Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs." It's a film about the fundamentalist Mormon leader whose crimes against his own flock landed him on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List. 8 p.m., Lifetime.